windermereROYAL He`s saying what the vast majority of fans are thinking. just because maybe 500 out of 12,000 home fans are booing we shouldn't be all painted with the same brush.Football just like every thing is all about opinions, if he turns it around the 500 will go quiet never to be seen again, and social media wont be worth looking at .

Stam said: "I don't pay any notice to the fans because even when we were doing well last season they were negative so it's nothing new.

"Nobody is happy with the situation but the fans need to understand if the players feel more comfortable playing away from home rather than at home then I think it's the wrong signal they're giving.

"They can be negative to me but they need to support the players.

"If they want to be negative against me that's fine and it's not a problem but if you're reacting like this how can you be asking something back from the players if the team is doing well?

"I can understand they are frustrated - I'm not saying they are not allowed to be because they pay money for tickets so are allowed to say something but you need to have respect for everybody as well.

"We need to have respect for our fans, if we say one thing out of line there is a big commotion but for some reason fans can say everything about players or staff on the internet or social media without anything being done.

Isn't it time the fans started to be a bit pragmatic. We are pretty sure Stam isn't going. We know that however we react Stam won't change anything. We also know what a disaster it would be if we got relegated.

We need a bit of Dunkirk spirit and turn a defeat into victory. Lets just support the team and our manager for the remaining games. It might just be that extra point gained from more vocal support that saves us.

I'm not keen on some of his managerial decisions and I have suspicions (they can only be suspicions given none of us has a scooby what goes on in training) that he's getting things wrong in training and prep, but I really like the cut of his jib in media interviews.

He could probably be more diplomatic and tactful, but I understand that's not a dutch trait. He's very rarely wrong in his criticism or comments, even if it might be better to stay quiet.

He cannot demand respect if he is not prepared to give it back though. He has been very dismissive and disrespectful to the support ever since he arrived here. Internally he can think how he wishes but there has to be a level of diplomacy and decorum towards your support, it seems beyond him.

He cannot demand respect if he is not prepared to give it back though. He has been very dismissive and disrespectful to the support ever since he arrived here. Internally he can think how he wishes but there has to be a level of diplomacy and decorum towards your support, it seems beyond him.

Works both ways. He finished third and got to the PO final last year after two bottom half finishes under previous managers and yet inside 10 games this season there were fans calling for his head. Most of last season people claimed we were in a false position and he wasn't up to much.

How much respect has he had from the fans? How much support? No where near as much as he deserved.

If the fans can't take being told that sitting sulking, booing, jeering and ironic cheers aren't helpful they are perhaps the ones with a problem.

Stam said: "I don't pay any notice to the fans because even when we were doing well last season they were negative so it's nothing new.

"Nobody is happy with the situation but the fans need to understand if the players feel more comfortable playing away from home rather than at home then I think it's the wrong signal they're giving.

"They can be negative to me but they need to support the players.

"If they want to be negative against me that's fine and it's not a problem but if you're reacting like this how can you be asking something back from the players if the team is doing well?

"I can understand they are frustrated - I'm not saying they are not allowed to be because they pay money for tickets so are allowed to say something but you need to have respect for everybody as well.

"We need to have respect for our fans, if we say one thing out of line there is a big commotion but for some reason fans can say everything about players or staff on the internet or social media without anything being done.

"I don't think it's a good thing."

I don't recall any negativity last season, so I think Stam is just trying to re-imagine the past to justify his point.

From where I'm sitting and speaking to my friends, no one was negative towards Stam until his little 'stay at home if you're going to boo' outburst. Yes booing / moaning itself isn't the most productive thing, but there wasn't much of it at that point, and after some of the drab performances it was probably a natural reaction.

Now we know he was looking elsewhere over the summer, and was nice enough to turn down Leeds and stay on board, with a nice big contract and lots of money to spend. Again, I suppose fans shouldn't be a little miffed with how things have panned out?

The Blackett thing was out of order yes, and you can't really control some idiots trolling on social media.

Football is a fickle game, and fans come and go, but I've seen almost all of the season ticket holders around me disappear over the last month or two, bored with the football and annoyed at Stam. Says alot more about Stam if you ask me.

He cannot demand respect if he is not prepared to give it back though. He has been very dismissive and disrespectful to the support ever since he arrived here. Internally he can think how he wishes but there has to be a level of diplomacy and decorum towards your support, it seems beyond him.

Well I think his overall point is correct. If we're stuck in a rut, abusing the players is going to have the opposite effect. Getting behind them will help the team. Sadly, I think that's beyond quite a few Reading fans...

He cannot demand respect if he is not prepared to give it back though. He has been very dismissive and disrespectful to the support ever since he arrived here. Internally he can think how he wishes but there has to be a level of diplomacy and decorum towards your support, it seems beyond him.

How much respect has he had from the fans? How much support? No where near as much as he deserved.

Unless I have missed something he had a heap of respect from the supporters for what he achieved last season, I know I certainly respected him and valued the achievement.

The point here is the respect and appreciation has to start with him. He is the leader of the football club and sets the tone. Yesterdays press conference was a great chance to get the fans back on side and he blew it in my opinion. I respect the fact he is honest about how he feels but I just don't think now is the time to attack the supporters, he needs to be a bit more of a politician about it all.

royal_rumble I don't recall any negativity last season, so I think Stam is just trying to re-imagine the past to justify his point..

I recall plenty. It was horrendous on here after a defeat, even if we were 3rd. I remember getting in plenty of e-scuffles with nobbers last season over their negativity. Obviously, it's far more justified this season.

He cannot demand respect if he is not prepared to give it back though. He has been very dismissive and disrespectful to the support ever since he arrived here. Internally he can think how he wishes but there has to be a level of diplomacy and decorum towards your support, it seems beyond him.

Well I think his overall point is correct. If we're stuck in a rut, abusing the players is going to have the opposite effect. Getting behind them will help the team. Sadly, I think that's beyond quite a few Reading fans...

Totally agree with the not abusing the players, doesn't help.

Is booing abuse though? Are they booing the players or him? I think there are a few morons who will go to boo regardless of what happens but there are a load of moderate supporters who although are unhappy with how things are will still get behind the team if the effort is there and we attempt to play the game in the right way. It is the moderate fans he needs to communicate with and I just think a little bit of diplomacy is needed at this time, it would really help him.

I'm specifically talking about Blackett, who was booed whenever he touched the ball, so yeah the fans were directing their ire towards him and not Stam.

But I do think Stam needs to realise that fans are massively fickle. The atmosphere was positive after the Burton win and a decent deadline day. Then it immediately reverted back as soon as Millwall scored. If we win against Boro on Saturday (big if, of course) then the fans will be off the players' backs in double quick time...

Old Man Andrews Totally agree with the not abusing the players, doesn't help.

Is booing abuse though? Are they booing the players or him? I think there are a few morons who will go to boo regardless of what happens but there are a load of moderate supporters who although are unhappy with how things are will still get behind the team if the effort is there and we attempt to play the game in the right way. It is the moderate fans he needs to communicate with and I just think a little bit of diplomacy is needed at this time, it would really help him.

This is the way I interpreted the booing at Stevenage: directed purely at Stam. But then we all know what that led to so maybe the players are being over-sensitive.

Banners would be the most effective. I remember the bloke in a grim reaper outfit and Mourinho mask holding a P45 at Stoke v Man United being very effective. Shame no one on here is as creative as that and instead we have plonkers sitting in bushes

John Smith Banners would be the most effective. I remember the bloke in a grim reaper outfit and Mourinho mask holding a P45 at Stoke v Man United being very effective. Shame no one on here is as creative as that and instead we have plonkers sitting in bushes

How effective was it really though, considering it was another five months and an FA cup final victory before VG was sacked?

royal_rumble I don't recall any negativity last season, so I think Stam is just trying to re-imagine the past to justify his point.

There was absolutely shed-loads of negativity last season. It's amazing how much people forget, and how quickly. We were barely three games into a new system that the players were still learning, and there were supporters booing. Go back and look at post match interviews from last season, and you'll have players and opposition managers commenting on the negativity. It is not a figment of Stam's imagination.

And it's not just last season either - I mentioned baracking towards Leigterwood in our PL season in a post previously, and there were some that were denying it ever happened - despite it being an absolute fact that "fans" jeered him when he was substituted.

People are entitled to say they don't like that way of playing, and moan about it.

What they are not entitled to do is then deny they ever moaned, and pretend they've never been negative.

There are supporters (and I've sat beside some of them), who seem to come to matches purely for a whining and bitching session. Even if we were winning 6 nil against Barcelona they'd be complaining about something.

That is a fact.

However, it's more obvious when we're doing badly, because they're not being drowned out by chants and cheering and so on.

John Smith Banners would be the most effective. I remember the bloke in a grim reaper outfit and Mourinho mask holding a P45 at Stoke v Man United being very effective. Shame no one on here is as creative as that and instead we have plonkers sitting in bushes

How effective was it really though, considering it was another five months and an FA cup final victory before VG was sacked?